The operation took places because the owners have not adhered to the conditions imposed by the courts when they were granted leave to keep their dogs and as a result the dogs have been humanely destroyed.

Since January 2007, three people have been killed on Merseyside after being attacked by dogs.

Two of those deaths, tragically involved children – five-year-old Ellie Lawrenson in January 2007 and four-year-old John Paul Massey in November 2009.

Both of these children were killed by pit-bull dogs banned under the Dangerous Dogs Legislation, which was introduced by the Government in 2001 (as amended 1997).

The third death, was that of 79-year-old Clifford Clarke, who died in May last year, who was killed by a dog that was not classified as a dangerous dog under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Merseyside Police said they do not want other families to suffer the loss of a loved one, or another innocent person to lose their life - as the result of an attack by a dangerous dog.

They said they want to ensure responsible dog ownership across Merseyside, particularly in relation to dogs, which have been classified as dangerous and are exempted under the Dangerous Dogs legislation.

Despite the deaths of three people, and the devastating impact it has had on the victim’s families, officers said that there are still people within the Merseyside communities who still see fit to breed these dangerous dogs despite the threat they pose and the fact that they are illegal breeds

Chief Inspector Chris Gibson from the Matrix Serious Organised Crime Uniformed Services wing, explained: "We want to be clear that we don’t want to demonise all dogs, or their owners.

"The action taken across Merseyside (Wirral, Sefton, Knowsley, St Helens and Liverpool) today is solely in relation to banned breeds, which have been given exemptions by the courts. When the courts grant these exemptions there are nine conditions imposed by the courts, which the owner must abide by.

"On Merseyside there are 247 owners of dogs who are exempted under Dangerous Dogs legislation, of these 130 are in breach of their conditions.

"The owners of the dogs seized by officers today were issued with a Contingent Destruction Order by the courts and the dog was then placed on the Dangerous Dogs Index and the owners were sent a letter by DEFRA (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) advising them of the terms and conditions that were in place and that their dog may be destroyed if they breached the conditions.

"DEFRA monitors whether the owners have maintained the insurance required and remind owners when the insurance is due to expire - and if they fail to renew the insurance the relevant police force is advised and appropriate enforcement action can then be taken."

He added: "Where the owners have failed to adhere to the conditions following exemption by the courts and have ignored the advice of the notice from DEFRA we have carried out further research to identify which of these 130 dogs are a danger to the community (this research identified if dogs were linked to organised crime groups, or if there were children/vulnerable adults in the property where the dogs were being kept).

"As a result of the failure to adhere to the exemption conditions of the court and other aggravating factors, we identified and prioritised 42 of those dogs as a danger to the public and have taken the required action this morning.

"So far 15 dogs have been seized as part of the operation. The dogs seized by officers today will be humanely destroyed. One of the dogs seized this morning belongs to a 23-year-old man from Toxteth, who is currently awaiting trial for being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug.

"Let’s be clear, these dogs pose a danger to the public, as well as to the families where they are housed. Invariably the people who keep these dogs, keep them as a status symbol and are not responsible dog owners.

"I’m sure that if you were to ask members of the public there aren’t many who would be happy living next door to someone who owns one of these dogs and does not take their responsibilities seriously, and I’m sure there aren’t many who would be happy to let their children, or grandchildren play out in the street if one of these dogs was in the vicinity.

"These dogs are fighting dogs, they are not designed to be family pets.

"Where owners have made applications to the court and have been granted an exemption it is up to that dog owner to adhere to the conditions and prove responsible dog ownership.

"If those owners are not prepared to abide by the conditions imposed, we have no alternative but to take the action we have undertaken today to keep our communities safe.”

Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said: "We are a nation of animal lovers and dogs make fantastic pets and companions.

"However, sadly here on Merseyside we have seen the devastating consequences of what can happen when irresponsible dog owners refuse to control their animals. Nobody should suffer serious injury or lose their life because an individual has failed to control an already banned breed of dog.

"We have a responsibility to act to keep our children and grandchildren safe and when owners have failed to obey the orders of a court the Force has no choice but to step in and remove these dangerous dogs from our community.”

Anyone who has information on where illegal dogs are being bred, who is supplying them or who is using these animals as part of their criminal lifestyles to call the police on 101, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.